Accept

Returning to the genre they helped forge many years ago, German pre-thrash power metal outfit Accept release their first studio effort in almost 15 years, and 12th overall. It's a huge undertaking, seeing as predecessor Predator was far from a commercial or critical success, leaving many to wonder if the group would be able to match that failure, let alone surpass it. The answer is a resounding… "Kind of." Blood of the Nations is clearly better than the slack material it succeeds, but as one would expect, things are far from on the same level as Restless and Wild. The band are just as tight as ever, the solos are slick and the riffs have that unmistakeable Accept buzz saw grind. Even new vocalist Mark Tonillo manages to maintain the attitude of original singer Udo Dirkschneider, while throwing in his two cents. In addition, producer Andy Sneap (Megadeth, Arch Enemy) admirably commits this legendary act to tape. However, even his meticulous hand is incapable of ensuring these guys keep things streamlined. Plenty of sneer-inducing riffs abound, but reach into outright overkill, making most of Blood of the Nations way too long. The shortest track hits a whopping four-and-a-half minutes, while many are almost double that. Sorry, Accept, but even expectedly long-winded fur balls Metallica have a hard time maintaining interest for that long, so who thought you could? Still, while Blood of the Nations won't inspire throngs of new fans, it will surely please geezers wanting something new in their half-time Kraut-metal.